Newcomb: a scientific interferometry mission at low cost

Robert D. Reasenberg; Robert W. Babcock; James D. Phillips; Kenneth J. Johnston; Richard S. Simon

doi:10.1117/12.177239

9 June 1994 Newcomb: a scientific interferometry mission at low cost

Robert D. Reasenberg, Robert W. Babcock, James D. Phillips, Kenneth J. Johnston, Richard S. Simon

Proceedings Volume 2200, Amplitude and Intensity Spatial Interferometry II; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177239
Event: 1994 Symposium on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation for the 21st Century, 1994, Kailua, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

Newcomb is a design concept for an astrometric optical interferometer with nominal single-measurement accuracy of 100 microseconds of arc ((mu) as). In a 30-month mission life, it will make scientifically interesting measurements of O-star, RR Lyrae, and Cepheid distances, probe the dark matter in our Galaxy via parallax measurements of K giants in the disk, establish a reference grid with internal consistency better than 50 (mu) as, and lay groundwork for the larger optical interferometers that are expected to produce a profusion of scientific results during the next century. With an extended mission life, Newcomb could do a useful search for other planetary systems.

Citation Download Citation

Robert D. Reasenberg, Robert W. Babcock, James D. Phillips, Kenneth J. Johnston, and Richard S. Simon "Newcomb: a scientific interferometry mission at low cost", Proc. SPIE 2200, Amplitude and Intensity Spatial Interferometry II, (9 June 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177239

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